October looked like the scariest month in some time for the sports network, with Nielsen reporting a loss of 621,000 subscribers — a doubling from the typical loss of around 300,000 a month.

Over the weekend, Disney demanded Nielsen take another look at its methodology. The numbers “represent a dramatic, unexplainable variation over prior months’ reporting,” the Mouse House said in a statement.

Nielsen withdrew its numbers and said it is “investigating a larger-than-usual change in the November report.” Nielsen projects the losses based on people in its survey panel changing packages.

Wall Street analysts weighed in, suggesting investors ignore the numbers and focus on longer-term subscriber trends, but those are going in the wrong direction.

The losses are a result of consumers trading down to cheaper skinny bundles of video, or getting rid of pay-TV packages altogether — a phenomenon known as “cord cutting.”

The declines at ESPN are particularly notable because it is the most expensive channel in the bundle, costing $7.21, according to SNL Kagan, and ESPN is viewed as the most sought-after channel.

Still, analysts say subscriber declines are to be expected, since Disney cut deals in 2014 to allow cable operators to configure TV packages differently in return for higher fees.

Disney stock lost 1.2 percent, to $92.69, in the Monday session.

Disney and other TV networks are also dealing with this season’s unexpected decline of NFL ratings, which are off 12 percent. Poor matchups and the Colin Kaepernick National Anthem protest are some reasons suggested for the falloff.